Unchurched Christianity: Where do we go from here?

Disclaimer: This article is not intended as an attack on Christianity or any established church organization, but is rather attempting to address a growing trend from the perspective of someone directly affected by it and looking to take actionable steps in response.

If you’re like me, you wish there was another word to identify with other than “Christian” as Christianity has become associated with the stigma of being politically extreme, anti-science (anti-fact), narrow minded, or simply intolerant of those who believe or live differently.  If you take offense to that statement, and I myself know that it does not represent Christianity in its truest form, you may need to come to terms with the fact that it is the reputation that we have earned due to the actions of those of us with the loudest mouths and failure of the rest of us to make any noise to the contrary.

I believe in God, but I just can’t go to church anymore.  By “anymore”, I mean since senior year of High School.  As a Christian, I feel bad about this fact, but it would appear that the stats are in my favor in that I am not nearly the only one that feels this way.  For example:

• According to USA Today, 70% of Protestants between the ages of 18 and 30 will leave the church before age of 23
• Christianity Today cites a study that claims the percentage of Americans checking the “no religion” box has almost doubled from 8% in 1990 to 15% in 2008
• Andrew Sullivan made a stir recently with the article Forget the Church, Follow Jesus published in the Daily Beast and featured on the cover of Newsweek

On the “Tony Campolo & Friends” blog, Red Letter Christians, Christian Priatt found 7 main responses to why young Christians have chosen an alternative to contemporary church:

1. We’ve Been Hurt
2. Adult Life/College and Church Don’t Seem to Mix
3. There’s No Natural Bridge to Church
4. We’re Distracted
5. We’re Skeptical
6. We’re Exhausted
7. I Don’t Get It

One or more of these reasons may resonate with you.  If not, here’s a list compiled by David Kinnaman, author of You Lost Me: Why Young Christians are Leaving the Church...and Rethinking Faith:

1. The Church is too insular
2. Church isn’t relevant or interesting
3. Christians are too anti-science
4. Christians are sex-negative
5. Christianity is too “exclusive” — you’re either one of them or you’re the enemy.
6. Christians are hostile

If you Google “Young Christians leave church”, you will not be at a loss of lists and studies like these.  What I found fascinating about them is the general absence of the response “There is no God”.  Whereas I find it likely that atheism, or at the very least agnosticism, is a byproduct of church disillusionment, it isn’t the catalyst for people leaving.  People are branching off because they are either exhausted from trying to live a life free of judgment or guilt, or they simply don’t feel that the church is accurately representing their beliefs.  They aren’t quitting God so much as they are quitting other Christians.  They aren’t straying from the Shepherd, but from a wayward flock.  Unfortunately, some don’t see the difference and find themselves making philosophical conclusions based on their observations of the folly of other followers.

Today I am so disengaged with the Christian community that I raise my guard when I hear someone quote the Bible or invoke the name of the Lord because I more often than not see how the Bible is abused and misinterpreted to push an agenda deviant from the true message of the scriptures.  Although I believe in God, and find new evidence every day that He is real and that He is a true force of love and compassion, I have difficulty relating to mainstream Christians and have developed a phobia of regularly attending church services.  The problem is that I feel this has made me ineffective in living my own beliefs.  Am I a living example of God’s love?  Am I feeding the hungry or the poor?  Am I doing anything to bring to light how Christianity is being misrepresented?

When John the Baptist is first introduced in the gospels, he almost immediately launches into a tirade against the religious leaders for how far they’ve fallen from their purpose.  I wonder what he would say about the state of modern Christianity.  So what is the alternative?  The trend is that my generation is leaving the church, but what is that trend leading towards?  Despite my caution to connect to other Christians, I feel a need for community (or “fellowship” to use a Christian-ese term) to feel that I am completely connected to my own path in understanding and living like Jesus.

The problem is not that others like me don’t exist, but rather that we’re so turned off by the organization we left that we are afraid to organize something new in fear of simply restarting the cycle.  I am not claiming to be the leader of a new movement, but I would like some feedback from you, whether you are churched or un-churched, on how you see this issue.  Do you see a need for a dramatic change?  What change would you like to see?  If you have left the church, what will it take to get involved in something again?  Who else do you know who identifies with the trending exodus from church?

I would like to continue this blog to express my concerns on the topic above, but also to relay my own observations on the side of Christianity that is under-broadcasted.  For any comments, suggestions, or hate mail, please feel free to contact me at: rechurchedblog@gmail.com.